Arizona School Board Member Files First Amendment Lawsuit After Being Banned From Quoting Bible Verses at Meetings
An Arizona school board member has filed a lawsuit against the Peoria Unified School District for allegedly violating her First Amendment rights by banning her from quoting the Bible during meetings.
The board member, Heather Rooks, was elected in January 2023.
The First Liberty Institute, representing Rooks, said in a press release, “During each Peoria School Board meeting, the agenda includes a brief ‘Board comments’ period where individual board members may offer remarks of their own choosing. Since the beginning of her public service on the board, Ms. Rooks has opened her comments by quoting a short scripture from the Bible. The Peoria School Board subsequently received letters from anti-religious organizations demanding it stop Ms. Rooks from reading scripture.”
In August,
